Some good suggestions in there and it was only a matter of time before folks started comparing Forza to GTS and PCARS.
I think we can safely eliminate GTS from the picture as clearly they haven’t taken any major strides in terms of physics - judging from the vids that have been released thus far.
I like how intuitive the driving model is in PCARS. It gives you full control over your car, though things kind of fall apart once you start to slide. The margin for error is so small that unless you start to save the car at a specific point, it can’t be saved at all and that isn’t realistic.
Forza gives you a wider margin for error, but then the snap oversteer feels somewhat arcadey. Your car is an object with g-forces acting on it, and when you slide IRL, carrying all that momentum and weight into a turn, you can’t just correct that slide by a quick countersteer move and expect it to straighten out. Forza 5’s physics model was a lot more progressive in terms of losing grip/regaining grip.
I do not see why they are so resistant to making the game lean heavily toward sim - there are already assists in the game to make driving easier. There’s even the option to choose between sim and normal steering. It would be really nice to have a ‘full hardcore sim’ model for those of us that like our driving model to be nuanced and closer to actual car behavior on a track.
Forza’s made a number of improvements since the X360 version but the physics between FM5 and 6 isn’t one of them. Sure, people like their cars to be more grippy and easier to drive. However, the learning curve was relatively flat in Forza 6 and you could just master driving different cars within minutes.
I think their partnership with Pirelli and Calspan really paid off in terms of physics and having a gradual learning curve. Driving felt really intuitive in FM4 and 5. The current game does not have semi-arcade physics per se, but it almost feels as if T10 deliberately sacked a few levels of physics calculation just to make driving easier and more of a “pick up and play” rather than one which attempts to simulate actual car behavior. For instance, braking… nearly every car in the game brakes as if its outfitted with race brakes. Or the fact that curbs on some tracks causes your car to jump and get massively upset even though this is not the case IRL (yes, I’m pointing fingers at you Sebring and Brandshatch).
Oh well, I’m keeping my fingers crossed but I do hope the developers consider bringing back a really nuanced model that appeals to true sim players and the casual player via introducing assists and a ‘casual driving mode’.